


Growth

by LeapAngstily



Series: Fairytale Endings [2]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M, PWP - Porn with Peerlo, References to Homophobia, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-05
Updated: 2013-02-05
Packaged: 2017-11-28 07:40:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/671945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeapAngstily/pseuds/LeapAngstily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes Andrea a divorce, another man and a retirement to come in terms with himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growth

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to "One Man’s Fairytale", set a few years after the original story.
> 
> This is written as 100-word drabbles that form a complete oneshot (25 x 100 words). Because of this, the narration is more concise and matter-of-fact than in Fairytale, which is exactly what I was aiming for when I chose to try out this style. I also think it fits my characterisation of Andrea better than the wordy narration I used when I was writing from Monty’s POV.

_I_  
  
Andrea had thought he would stay with Deborah for the rest of his life, he really did. She had been so lenient with him for all these years: the late nights, the unannounced disappearances, even the bite marks Riccardo had left on his neck on that one occasion.  
  
He had honestly believed there would be no risks whatsoever to his marriage after Riccardo walked out of his life.  
  
Nevertheless, it is still Riccardo who ultimately causes their divorce.   
  
Andrea had never even considered the possibility of his wife walking in on him moaning the other man’s name as he masturbates.  
  
 _II_  
  
Gigi merely raises an eyebrow when he opens the door and finds Andrea standing there, a bag flung over his shoulder, expression unreadable.  
  
“Deb kicked me out, mind if I crash on the couch for tonight?” Andrea offers as an explanation, his voice not holding an ounce of remorse of a man who has just been left, and Gigi knows not to question him.  
  
Andrea lets Alena fuss over him for the rest of the night, offering only a slight protest when she insists that he should stay in their spare bedroom, “just until you get back on your feet.”  
  
 _III_  
  
Gigi corners him the next morning after Alena has gone out with the children. Andrea ends up telling him everything after only a minimal amount of persuasion: there is no use in trying to hide things from Gigi – he will find a way to extract the information out of him whether Andrea likes it or not.  
  
There is not a trace of surprise on Gigi’s face as Andrea tells him about Riccardo – how it began, how they worked to hide it, how it ended.   
  
How it still managed to ruin his marriage.  
  
Gigi only hugs him once he is finished.  
  
 _IV_  
  
The divorce settlement is fairly simple. They file the papers on a mutual agreement, never bringing up the actual reason, well aware of the media uproar it would cause.  
  
“We grew apart; the children have been the main reason why we have stayed together this long,” says the official statement, and it is as close to the truth they will ever get.  
  
Deborah keeps the house and the primary custody of the children – it is the sensible solution considering Andrea’s hectic on-season schedules. It is also the only solution Deborah is willing to accept, and Andrea can understand her reasoning.  
  
 _V_  
  
“You should talk to Riccardo,” Gigi tells him after the dust around the divorce news has settled a little, “He asked about you the other day.”  
  
“I’ve barely spoken to him since we broke up. Why’d I start now?” Andrea retorts, busying himself with Thomas’ homework Gigi is supposed to be checking. It is painfully clear he is not ready to approach this particular subject just yet. (Maybe not ever.)  
  
“He’s worried about you,” Gigi pushes on, snatching the Math book from his hands, “And he might very damn well be the only one who understands what you’re going through.”  
  
 _VI_  
  
It is not that Andrea does not want to see Riccardo. On the contrary, he has missed the younger man so much it practically hurts.  
  
But Riccardo seems so faraway now: the newly-appointed captain of AC Milan, the unquestionable leader of the  _Azzurri_  squad (ever since Gigi retired), happily together with someone neither Andrea nor the press have had a chance to encounter.  
  
Andrea is afraid that seeing him so happy, so  _complete_ , might break his carefully guarded façade for good. He is eons behind Riccardo in every possible aspect, and being reminded of it just hurts too fucking much.  
  
 _VII_  
  
He finally finds an apartment of his own after having imposed himself on Alena and Gigi’s hospitability for far too long.  
  
It is a nice, spacious penthouse apartment just off the central Turin, reasonably close to the Juventus training facilities. Niccolò and Angela both get their own rooms for when they visit, and the kitchen is far too well-equipped for someone as terrible a cook as Andrea.  
  
It is only rented and not nearly as familiar-feeling as his old home, but it is a place he can call his own – a luxury he has not enjoyed since he got married.  
  
 _VIII_  
  
He settles into a familiar routine: train, play, meet the children, avoid Riccardo, train some more, ignore Gigi’s stupid (and yet so smart) advice...  
  
He is reminded that routine is not everything only when he is injured once again, badly enough to require surgery.  _Again._  Just a routine operation, the doctor assures him, but Andrea is well aware that at his age every injury might be the one to end his career.  
  
“Maybe you should just retire. It’s not that bad, you know, once you get used to the freedom,” Gigi tells him sympathetically. Andrea cannot help but quietly agree.  
  
 _IX_  
  
He finally picks up his phone and calls Riccardo when he is out of the surgery and bored out of his mind.  
  
Just hearing Riccardo’s voice makes the pining he has learned to keep at bay come flooding back, and Andrea almost hangs up without a word. Instead, he returns the greeting tentatively, unsure what he is supposed to say.  
  
“Andrea? I’ve been meaning to call you for ages! Are you alright?”  
  
The surprise and delight in Riccardo’s voice makes warmth seep into Andrea’s veins. Before he knows it, he has agreed to meet up with him the following week.  
  
 _X_  
  
“I’m seeing someone,” Riccardo admits easily once they are done with the usual pleasantries.  
  
“Is he a good man?”  _Is he good enough for you?_  
  
“He’s great. He makes me happy.”  
  
Andrea attempts to hide the flinch the answer causes, and nods in approval instead. He cannot meet Riccardo’s eyes, does not dare to look at that beautiful, unguarded smile on his face – afraid that Riccardo still has the ability to read him like an open book.  
  
“Do you love him?”  
  
The soft inquiry is met with silence, and Andrea is not quite sure whether it is good or bad.  
  
 _XI_  
  
Riccardo’s lips are exactly as he remembers: soft, warm and insistent against his own. The shivers the kiss sends down his spine are something Andrea has never experienced with anyone but Riccardo, and he vaguely wonders how he could ever have given this up.  
  
Riccardo is returning the kiss with equal fervour, which is why it takes Andrea so long to notice that the hands on his chest are actually trying to push him away.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Riccardo whispers when they break the kiss. His breath is laboured and his lips swollen, but Andrea still knows when to admit defeat.  
  
 _XII_  
  
“Maybe it’s just nostalgia?” Gigi suggests as they watch Thomas running on the pitch in the Juventus youth academy jersey, “Or maybe he’s still got feelings for you? Hell if I know!”  
  
He interrupts his musings in order to jump up and yell a couple of chosen insults at the referee who had just whistled Thomas’ foul. Gigi’s involvement in the game makes Andrea snigger just a little: he swears he will never be quite the football daddy Gigi has transformed into since his retirement.  
  
“Still, I’d take it easy if I were you,” Gigi finishes as the match continues.  
  
 _XIII_  
  
Riccardo’s partner is around Andrea’s age, but that is as far as the similarities go. The man is tall and his greying hair gives him a dignified look. His name is Benedikt (Andrea cannot even pronounce the damn name) and he comes from Switzerland.   
  
There is a distinct accent to his Italian and he communicates with Riccardo in German, leaving Andrea feeling like an outsider. The openly adoring looks he keeps throwing at Riccardo make Andrea feel  _sick_ , and he cannot help hating the guy.  
  
“He’s nice,” he lies to Riccardo afterwards. He really sucks at this ‘just friends’ thing.  
  
 _XIV_  
  
“Are you gonna get remarried, daddy?” Angela asks him one night when he is tucking her into bed.  
  
“Not likely,” he answers truthfully, “Why’d you ask?”  
  
She levels him with a look that is far too mature for her age. “I don’t want you to be lonely. And Lucia from my class says it’s just like having extra parents!”  
  
Frankly, the only person Andrea could imagine spending the rest of his life with is Riccardo, and while he is sure his children would adore him as much as he does, he is also equally certain that ship has already sailed.  
  
 _XV_  
  
“You really  _are_  lonely, aren’t you?” Gigi interjects his tirade about how the children just grow up too fast, “I mean, I know I’m awesome and all, and the guys in Juve aren’t that bad either, and you still got your kids, but you’re seriously lacking something.”  
  
Andrea wants to tell him he has been lacking that something for a long, long time, but he suspects Gigi knows it even without saying.  
  
“Maybe you should come out once you retire – embrace your true self and all that shit, you know,” Gigi finally suggests, only half-joking.  
  
Andrea kicks him in response.  
  
 _XVI_  
  
Gigi’s words do not leave him alone, though, and as his recovery time keeps stretching from the promised two weeks into a month and then two, retirement becomes a much more tangible option.  
  
He ends up talking to Riccardo, because if there is anyone who knows what outing oneself might feel like, it would be him.  
  
“Won’t be easy,” he replies, carefully searching Andrea’s gaze, “It would make a huge difference, though, for gays and straights alike.”  
  
It would make an immense difference for Riccardo as well, but his words hold no pressure whatsoever, leaving the decision up to Andrea.  
  
 _XVII_  
  
Andrea tells his parents first, and the reaction is exactly what he expected: his mother cries while his father gives him a stern look that speaks volumes of his disappointment.  
  
His family has never been a particularly outspoken one, and when he is back in his car, Andrea wonders whether it is a curse or a blessing. (At least he was not disowned on the spot.)  
  
Fortunately, his kids are much more accepting when he talks to them after consulting Deborah – must be their mother’s influence, Andrea notes absentmindedly when he holds both Niccolò and Angela in a tight embrace.  
  
 _XVIII_  
  
“I’m gonna pass out,” he informs Gigi ten minutes before his scheduled press conference. His throat feels dry, his pulse must have at least doubled, and he cannot stop thinking up all the possible outcomes to his actions – not one of them positive.  
  
“Remember, you don’t have to do anything: they’re all just waiting for an announcement on your retirement, nothing more,” Gigi reassures him in a firm voice, rubbing his shoulders in an attempt to relax him.  
  
Andrea would thank him for his eternal support if it was not for the bile that threatens to rise up his throat.  
  
 _XIX_  
  
The conference hall is packed with people: reporters, teammates, fans, haters...  
  
A camera flashes, and for a second Andrea actually considers Gigi’s words: he could still take the easy way out.  
  
But as he clears his throat and begins his prewritten speech on his retirement, his eyes meet Riccardo’s. He is standing behind the crowd, his back against the wall and arms crossed – a look of feigned nonchalance.  
  
Andrea cannot let him down, not again.  
  
“I am also going to take this chance to reveal something about myself. Something that has been a part of me for all my life...”  
  
 _XX_  
  
The conference ends in a total chaos and the Juventus’ press representative has to step in to save Andrea from the flood of questions that come all at once, too soon and too obtrusive.  
  
Gigi is waiting for him in the backroom and pulls him into a tight, protective hug the moment the door closes behind him.   
  
“Didn’t think you’d actually go through with it,” he mutters against Andrea’s hair, “I’m damn proud of you.”  
  
It takes Andrea a while to get over the initial shock, and when they finally emerge from the backroom, Riccardo is nowhere to be found.  
  
 _XXI_  
  
 **Football World Shocked: World Champion Outs Himself!**  
  
 **Pirlo: “Gay and Proud!”**  
  
 **Retirement and Revelation: Andrea Pirlo Comes Out!**  
  
 **All On Pirlo’s Secret Life – What Did We Miss?!**  
  
 **Lover Reveals: This Is How Pirlo Is In Bed**  
  
 **Coach Shocked: “He Told Me Nothing!”**  
  
 **Accusations In Pirlo’s Direction – Refuses Comments**  
  
 **Cecchi Paone: “I Knew All Along”**  
  
 **Are There Others? Specialists Comment On Possible Mass Outing!**  
  
 **Gay Activists Ecstatic: “Thank You Andrea!”**  
  
Andrea dumps all the papers straight into the bin without a further glance. He knows just from reading the headlines that they are all full of useless speculations and outright lies.  
  
 _XXII_  
  
Andrea barely leaves his apartment during the next week, too cautious of the paparazzi and reporters waiting outside. He is extremely grateful to Deborah who was smart enough to take the kids out of town before all the hell broke loose.  
  
And just like with every scoop, the press loses interest in this one, too, when there is nothing new to publish. There are still some stubborn journalists loitering around, but after a while it gets substantially easier to go out unnoticed again.  
  
It is only then that Andrea notices that the positive feedback has long since outweighed the bad.  
  
 _XXIII_  
  
The doorbell startles Andrea out of his thoughts.  
  
“Open the damn door before the paparazzi notice me,” the voice is just loud enough to hear through the door, and Andrea rushes to let Riccardo in.  
  
He does not know what to expect, but the kiss he receives is definitely not the first one on the list.  
  
“It’s all your fault,” Riccardo half-sobs between the kisses, “I was doing  _fine_ , and then you just had to come back and ruin it all.”  
  
Andrea has no answers, so he merely returns the kisses, wiping away the traces of tears from Riccardo’s face.  
  
 _XXIV_  
  
They do not make it past the living room, too engrossed with each other to navigate through the apartment. They end up on the couch, clothes scattered around the floor.   
  
Andrea remembers every inch of Riccardo’s body like it was only yesterday they separated; every reaction he urges out of him seems familiar, but also strangely new.   
  
Not even his most vibrant memories could prepare him for the incredible feeling of being inside Riccardo again. Suddenly Andrea is sobbing too, the years of longing finally finding release as they reach their orgasms at the same time, entangled in each other.  
  
 _XXV_  
  
”You kept the couch,” Riccardo whispers to him afterwards, his head pillowed on Andrea’s chest, “The one from your old house.”  
  
The comment is so random that Andrea cannot help but laugh softly.  
  
“It holds many memories, huh?” he inquires, gentle fingers running up and down Riccardo’s bare back. He feels the slight nod against his chest, and then Riccardo presses a lightest of kisses on his skin.  
  
“Please stay?” Andrea’s request is like an echo from their previous lives, from the time they were both so different, so lost.  
  
And Riccardo complies, if only for tonight.   
  
(And hopefully forever.)


End file.
